More debate on the future of newspapers

There are a couple of good articles appearing this morning.

Nik Hewitt writing at Online Journalism news asks whether newspapers can still win the digital game and quotes that a friend of his

made a comment last week: "The midweek Man City v Aalborg match went to penalties, so the paper couldn't print the score. I didn't know who'd won. What's the point?"

Newspapers he believes still can compete but makes the following points

1.We need to stop trying to sell papers through the internet for starters. Offering partial content and driving users to our print product is just alienating them

and instead

2.Digital is where we should be driving traffic, where we can provide the excellent journalistic content we have in abundance to a targeted online audience. Engaging them in debate. Allowing free commentary and inviting opinion. Giving the visitor a sense of ownership in our established and trusted local brands. Giving them resources and information they need to take their community forward.

Meanwhile Stephen Moss at the Guardian asks whether the regional paper is doomed

local and regional papers are caught in a perfect storm (national titles are having a hard time, too, but that's for another day). The local readership is ageing; high streets are losing their shops; the three key regional advertising markets - property, cars and jobs - have dropped dramatically.